On March 5, 2013 the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) issued a press release detailing their new handbook that was created with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The handbook was created assist interested parties in successfully managing NEPA and Section 106 requirements together.

According to the press release the two agencies came together to reduce the regulatory barriers and work more efficiently for the benefit of the American people. The document goes on to say, “This creates a means to ensure statutory requirements of two important laws are met while strengthening the coordination of two similar but separate processes that frequently should proceed in tandem.”

From the press release:

“For example, review of a project under NEPA would include consideration of the broad range of environmental impacts, ranging from wildlife to air and water quality and including historic and cultural resources. Section 106 of the NHPA would require consideration of how the project might affect the historic resources, such as historic buildings and districts, archaeological sites, and cultural landscapes. The handbook is designed to guide users in coordinating the two mandated reviews to improve efficiency and informed decision making.”

Here is a link to the PDF handbook.

Have you read the handbook? Is it helpful? Questions? Concerns? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the field!